This invention relates to a fireplace front and method of making same, and more particularly to a fireplace front including a pair of screen doors and a pair of transparent, imperforate doors which can be selectively moved to positions covering a front opening in a fireplace and retracted, concealed positions.
The openings in many fireplaces are sometimes covered by decorative screens which inhibit the passage of airborne sparks onto the floor immediately adjacent the fireplace opening but permits the free flow of room air to the fire chamber to enhance burning during fire start-up. The screens can generally be parted to provide access to the fireplace for cleaning and insertion of wood.
Once a fire is well established, the heated air rising in the fireplace and passing outwardly through the chimney, tends to create a vacuum which draws room air through the screen into the fireplace. This creates a draft which cools the house. When burning softwood, the draft sometimes so accelerates the burning that the softwood will literally explode with sufficient force to pass through the screen into the room creating a fire hazard. Accordingly, imperforate doors or panels of heat-resistant material, such as glass, are sometimes employed to cover the fireplace opening and control the draft, and yet permit the fire to be viewed. Such panels or doors are generally removed or folded open during fire start-up because in the closed positions they block the free flow of air and burning is inhibited. When the imperforate doors are opened during fire start-up, it is generally desirable to temporarily cover the fireplace opening with a screen to inhibit the passage of sparks which might otherwise fly onto the floor in front of the fireplace. The storage of the unused set of the glass doors and screen doors presents a problem to the homeowner.
It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide a compact fireplace front embodying slidable screen doors and imperforate doors which can be selectively moved between positions covering the fireplace opening and spread positions out of view.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved fireplace front of the type described which will more effectively control the draft to the fire chamber.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace front of the type described including a double track frame which slidably mounts imperforate doors and has enclosed door wells mounted on opposite sides of a central fireplace opening for receiving the doors and mechanism for inhibiting the flow of air between the doors and the front portion of the door wells.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace front of the type described including door receiving pockets, at opposite sides of a central opening, having rearwardly extending vertical flanges adapted to engage a fireplace chamber to inhibit the flow of air between the chamber and the pockets.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace front of the type described including front and rear sets of lower and upper tracks including a pair of forwardly extending, vertical, expansion flanges on the front set of tracks at laterally opposite sides of a central opening and a pair of rearwardly extending, vertical locating flanges on the rear set of tracks at laterally opposite sides of the central opening.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a plural door fireplace closure unit for closing the front opening of a fireplace of the type described wherein expansion pockets are provided to prevent interference of the doors and the door receiving enclosures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fireplace closure unit of the type described having integral mechanism which is sandwiched in an overlying brick wall for securely coupling the unit to the brick wall.
Some pre-fabricated fireplaces are now being constructed with firepits having a shallow depth. If the imperforate glass doors are hung in the usual fashion, they may overheat. It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described having spacer members which automatically space the doors from the backwall of a short depth firepit a distance equal to the spacing of the doors from the backwall of a normal size firepit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method of making a fireplace door.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fireplace front having a new and novel hangar bracket which will minimize drafts past the fireplace doors when the doors are closed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel fireplace front of the type described having new and novel hangar brackets on which the fireplace doors are vertically adjustable for quick removal.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.